Sweetness & Bitterness: A Life
by ballerinachyn
Summary: [Title does not match story well] Based in Prussia, late 1800s. Very sad story, a mortal AU.


_FYI: This is really sad, please don't kill me for it. Inspired by Prussian writer_ _Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy's "The Poor". Also, this is a mortal AU. Doesn't match character personalities or thoughts or things they normally do, and also pretty depressing. On that friendly note, enjoy the story._

 _PS. This takes place in Prussia in the late 1800s_

 _PPS. It actually pained me to write the section that… You'll see._

Annabeth sat next to the fireplace while fixing a torn sail. She could hear the winter air hovering above her rooftop, the waves in the ocean thrashing about, sending water all across the shore. It was a big storm out, and it was dark and cold, but in the fisherman's house, it was not only warm but comfortable. The floor was swept over and over, and the fire in the stove still wasn't put out, and the pots and knives were still laid out over a table.

Behind a white cloth lay her five children, all sleeping soundly despite the cold out. Her husband, Percy, had left the house early in the morning and he still hadn't returned. Annabeth heard the churning sounds of the ocean, the howls of the wind, and she was just worried behind her composed expression.

The old clock sounded loudly, 10, 11… Percy still wasn't back. She thought to herself: _"He doesn't take care of himself well, always going outside to fish so early in the morning. I wish he knew better. I'm doing housework for the whole day, and I can barely fill the needs of the children. They had no shoes to wear, during the winter and the summer, they're always running around barefooted, all we can afford is the crusts of bread, and sometimes some fish. Nevertheless, thank goodness that all of my children are happy and healthy. There isn't really anything to be discontented for."_

The wind entered the house through the cracks of the wooden walls, and Annabeth took a deep breath. "Where is he now? Protect him, whoever you are, show mercy on him…" she whispered, her hands pressing even harder against the ragged sail.

She knew she wasn't going to sleep anytime soon. Annabeth stood up, brushing the dust off her shirt, took a scarf off the side of her chair, wrapped it around her neck, took the candle and walked out of the door. She wanted to see if the light in the lighthouse was still there, if Percy could still see the shore. Nothing was visible to her on the waters. The sight of it calmed her, somehow.

The wind blew her scarf slightly, and the wind made her stumble, to the direction of another house. She remembered that yesterday she wanted to visit her neighbour, who was dreadfully ill.

"There's no one to take care of her!" Annabeth thought, thinking about her health as she knocked on the door. She pressed her ear against the thin wooden door, but the house remained silent. No sound of the floorboard creaking, and no sounds of the fire sizzling.

"How hard must it be to live as a widow?" she asked herself. "The children aren't of so much value; there are only two, but they all depend fully on her, and she must be dreadfully tired, plus the sickness. The days of the widow must be despairing! I'll go in and check on her."

Annabeth repeatedly knocked on the door, but there was still no answer.

"Hello! Piper?" Annabeth called, as she paled, beginning to worry. What could have happened that made her friend not answer her for so many times? She pushed open the door.

Inside of the house, there was no fire there, and the inside was humid and cold. Annabeth raised her candle, wondering where Piper was. Her eyes shot to a bed, and her friend lay on the bed. She wasn't moving. Annabeth placed the candle on the bedside table; she wasn't wrong. It was Piper. Her head was icy cold and her expression was a peaceful one, and her pale, hard hands seemed to be desperately wanting to grab something, but limply draped from the grass mat. Annabeth wept in silence. Her best friend, and the wife of her husband's best friend, Jason. They had spent their younger days together. What now? Jason had passed at sea due to the sea's bad temper, and now Piper was gone, too.

Beside their mother, her two little boys with golden hair, wearing old clothes, slept, curling up into a ball. Their two heads were pressed closely against one another. Annabeth could tell that before she passed, Piper had wrapped her scarf around their bodies, and her other clothing to wrap their feet and ears. The children's breathing was even, and peaceful, and they were sleeping well.

Annabeth used her headscarf to wrap the two kids and took her back to her home after breaking down into tears again. After reaching home, her heartbeat increased steadily, not knowing what instinct asked her to do so, but she didn't know what else she could do. She put the two children on the bed with her own sleeping children and quickly closed to white cloth around it.

Her face was pale, and her emotions flipping around. She thought worriedly, "What will he say? Am I taking a risk a bit too big? Is the wind howling signalling his return? No, not yet… What will he think when he sees the two? He's going to be furious! There's nothing I can do…"

The door swung open a little bit before squeaking and then halting, as if someone was going to come in. Annabeth stood up shakily, leaning towards the door to get a better glimpse.

"Oh, he's not back yet. Phew…" She became lost in thought, and sat down beside the bed again, and continued to fix the torn sail.

The door flew open, and a scent of the sea filled the house. Percy, drenched in seawater with a few bits of seaweed in his hair, was holding a torn fish net, and as he walked in, called out, "Hey! I'm back!"

"Oh, it's you!" Annabeth said carefully, not daring to look at him in the eye.

"Such a stormy night! How creepy!"

"Yes, yes, it is; the weather is really scary. Oh, how was fishing?"

"Terrible. I didn't get a thing, and my net broke. How stupid! Thank goodness I'm alive…"

As he said that, Percy put the net beside the fireplace and sat across from Annabeth. "When I was fishing, what were you doing?"

"M-me?" Annabeth stuttered, saying, "I, um, you know, sewing, and fixing stuff. Yes, fixing stuff," she repeated to herself.

Percy smiled at her. "It's okay. The weather was insane today. Couldn't have gotten any worse. It's not like you could go outside today because of the weather."

The two were silent for a while.

"Did you know," Annabeth said softly, "Piper passed recently…" she choked back a sob.

Percy patted her comfortingly on the back. Annabeth could tell that he was trying not to tear up. "When?" he whispered.

"I'm not sure, maybe yesterday. Such a painful death, from illness… And her two children were next to her, sleeping; they're still so tiny. They don't even know how to talk yet…" Annabeth silenced herself. _What is he going to think?_

Percy scrunched up his eyebrows, in thought. Annabeth's lip twitched, almost making it curve upward into a smile. _He looks so cute when he's worried._ Deep in thought, his face became wrinkly and he suddenly shot out of his chair. "I know! We have to take them back here because that's the right thing to do. And Jason would want that and so would Piper. We need to place her somewhere that she deserves. Also, how can we leave two children with someone who's… passed?" he stopped with a hoarse whisper.

"We have to take them here, Annabeth…" he sat down slowly in frustration. "We can get by. I promise I'll try my best. Come, let's go get them." Percy stood up, and turned around to look at Annabeth, who didn't stand up.

She remained in the chair, staring at the torn sail she was mending.

"What's wrong, Annabeth? Are you not willing? What happened?"

"Look, they're here." Annabeth gently lifted up the cloth to reveal the seven children, all sound asleep, unaware of the things that have just happened.


End file.
